Chapter Eighteen:
Kait could feel her eyelids drooping with fatigue. She, Matt, and Miranda had sat fascinated for the past few hours as Xena, Ja-Kal, Rath, and Tia discussed possible strategies to use against Velasca and Callisto. She took a look at her watch and saw how late it had gotten. She knew that her morning classes were definitely out!
She turned to look at Matt, who appeared to be as tired as she was. She nudged his arm slightly to get his attention. "Hey, Matt," she whispered as to not disturb the others. "I'm beat."
Matt yawned and nodded. "Me too. Let's go home."
They both looked at Miranda. She seemed to be tired as well.
"Aunt Miranda," Kait called in a soft voice, "we're ready to leave. Wanna go?"
"Huh?" Miranda pulled herself away from the intense discussion and glanced at her wrist watch. "Oh, yeah. This old lady needs her rest."
Kait giggled under her breath and stood up. She hated to bother the think tank, but she really had little choice. The idea of spending the night on a stone couch wasn't very appealing. "Um, guys?" she called out. The four of them stopped what they were doing and turned to her. Tia looked a little annoyed at the disruption. "It's kind of late, so me, Matt, and Miranda are gonna hit the road."
"I would prefer that you stay here," Ja-Kal told her. "It will be safer for you."
"You think those nut cases will come after us again tonight?" Matt wanted to know.
"No, I don't think there's any danger of that," Xena put in. "Presley is their primary target. You three are secondary."
"That's comforting," Kait commented sarcastically.
"And, from what I've been told," Xena continued, "Scarab doesn't know his identity or where he lives. Since you were unknown until today, I doubt they know yours either."
"I believe she's right," Rath added, directing his comment at Ja-Kal. "There's no reason why they cannot return to their homes."
"Great, then it's settled," Kait declared. She turned to her companions. "We're outta here!"
"What's going on?" Gabrielle asked as she and Armon returned from the kitchen area. They had both decided to have a little snack.
"We're headed home," Matt informed her.
An idea formed in Kait's head. "Hey, why don't you and Xena stay with me and Aunt Miranda? My apartment's not the biggest, but it'll accommodate us comfortably."
Gabrielle brightened at this prospect. It was the perfect opportunity to learn about this future time. "Xena?"
"You go ahead," Xena told her friend. "I'd like to scout out the area and start getting a feel for the terrain. I'll be fine staying here."
"Your choice," Kait said. As she started to leave, she said to Matt, "Well, so much for getting notes from Ti-, uh, Nefer-Tina. We'll just have to ask Valerie in class tomorrow night."
"Notes? From Nefer-Tina?" Rath questioned her. "What are you talking about?"
Kait looked surprised. "You mean you didn't know?"
"Know what?" Rath asked.
"Nefer-Tina has been attending school for the past six months," Ja-Kal told him. "Kait and Matt are her classmates."
"And, you knew about it?" Rath was startled. "Why in Ra's name didn't you put an end to it?"
"I didn't see any harm in it," Ja-Kal said. "Scarab was gone and the prince was in no danger. As long as it didn't interfere with her duties, I saw no reason to stop her."
"Speaking of our wayward charioteer, she left a long time ago with our prince. Shouldn't she have returned by now?" Rath inquired.
"She did say that she needed to get out for a while," Ja-Kal pointed out, " but, you are right. She has been gone a long time."
"She's probably dancing at one of those ridiculous night clubs she's so fond of," Rath decided.
"If I find her while I'm out, I'll bring her back here," Xena told them. "I'm sure she's all right."
"Would you like me to go search for her as well?" Tia asked in a tone that didn't sit right with Kait.
"No, I need you to stay here," Ja-Kal answered her. "One person searching is enough."
"As you wish," Tia said coldly.
Kait shivered internally. She did not like this goddess at all. "Come on, guys," she said.
"I'll be leaving now as well," Xena informed the group. She put on her warm winter coat and started following after the others. "I'll return as soon as I can."
After the five had left, Rath said, "I think I shall retire as well. It has been quite a long day."
Ja-Kal nodded at him. "Go on ahead. I...have a few things to do before I recharge." He then looked directly at Tia.
Rath immediately knew what he meant and touched Armon's arm. "Come on, Armon."
"Okay," Armon said. He obediently followed Rath to the wall where the four sarcophagi stood. The two mummies disappeared into their respective coffins for the night.
Ja-Kal and Tia were alone. For a moment, neither said anything, an uncomfortable silence filling the room.
Finally, Ja-Kal spoke. "Let's go someplace private. We have a lot of things to talk about."
"Yes," Tia said. "We do."
Ja-Kal led her to a room in the rear of the Sphinx which was rarely, if ever, used. There were no furnishings except for two chairs and a small table. Neither sat down as Ja-Kal shut the door behind them.
They stood in silence once again. It was an extremely awkward situation. It was impossible to find a way to begin.
Ja-Kal took this time to study Tia for the first time since her sudden arrival. She had drastically changed from the way he remembered her. And, he had a feeling that it was not for the better.
Tia had been a modest, proper Egyptian woman. The goddess before him had no such reservations as her skin-tight, revealing garb suggested. She had always been shapely, but now she had the lean, muscular body of a warrior. Her hair reflected her new persona as well. It was longer and wilder than he had ever seen it. She was still very beautiful, but it was a harsh beauty.
"You must be surprised to see me after all this time," Tia said, breaking the heavy silence.
"Yes," he answered. "I never expected-"
She cut him off abruptly. "You never expected to see me until you returned to the Western Gate. As you can see, I am far from being dead. And, I never will be." Ja-Kal said nothing. Her mouth curved into a half-smile. "Forgive me. I have yet to greet you properly."
She suddenly closed the distance between them and kissed him hard on the lips.
Ja-Kal was startled by Tia's unexpected move. It was like nothing he had ever experienced. The kiss was rough and purely animalistic, anything loving drained from the once intimate gesture.
She drew back from him, a full smile now on her lips. "Quite different from what you remember, isn't it?"
He just stared at her. Never once during their courtship or marriage had she ever kissed him like that. She had been the only woman he had ever actually kissed and her kisses had always been soft and sweet. Where she had learned to kiss like this, he couldn't begin to imagine.
However, what surprised him the most was his own lack of an emotional response. When she kissed him, he had felt nothing. No love, no hate, just...nothing. During their life together, her kisses had stirred something deep within him. This last kiss had surprised him, nothing more. He had experienced more emotion when Chontra had appeared to him disguised as Tia. And, nothing could compare to the strong emotions evoked whenever Nefer-Tina was around...
Stop it! he scolded himself. His wife was back and he could still not stop thinking about Nefer-Tina. What was wrong with him? Regardless of how he now felt towards Tia, he had taken vows which he refused to break. As far as he knew, Tia and he were still married.
"You haven't changed," Tia observed. She indicated his mummified state. "Much," she amended.
"While you are completely different. I hardly recognize you," Ja-Kal said. "What happened to you? Where have you been all these years?"
Tia smiled again. "Let's just say your death was the best thing that ever happened to me."
Ja-Kal was too stunned to say a word. In a casual tone, she had just informed him that the love they shared meant nothing to her. It was the cruelest thing that had ever been said to him. He felt as if he'd just taken a blow to the gut.
He finally recovered his voice. "You cannot truly mean that. I loved you and I thought you loved me. I remember you always being so happy." The shock and hurt were evident in his voice.
She crossed her arms. "There was a time when I was happy with you. I did love you, but you don't seem to remember what life was like for us. You were never around, always off somewhere on royal business. First with the Pharaoh, then his son. We hardly saw each other. Your duties always came first, even before your own wife," she told him. "We spent so little time together. Why do you think it took so long for us to have any children?"
"You never said anything," he said. "If I had known-"
"If you had known, what?" she interrupted him. "You would have left the palace with me? Hmm? You would have taken me out of Egypt if I asked?" He did not answer her. "I didn't think so."
"Do you know why I fell in love with you?" she questioned him. "Did you ever stop and think why I chose you over, say, your brother?"
"I didn't think there had to be a reason," he flatly said.
She glared at him. "Apparently, you don't really know me at all. Do you remember what I dreamed about when we were children?" When he remained silent once more, she continued. "All I ever wanted was to leave our gods-forsaken village and make something of myself. I wanted to be somebody. I wanted fame.
"Of all the men in our village, you had the potential. You were the most skilled hunter in all of Egypt. I knew you'd leave the fold and move on to bigger and better things. I was attracted to that. That is why I fell in love with you.
"The day the Pharaoh chose you to join the Royal Hunt was one of the happiest in my life. I loved you so much and I was willing to follow you anywhere."
Ja-Kal was seeing Tia in a new light. For the first time, he was learning the true nature of the woman he had called wife. She had only loved him because it suited her purposes. Had their son Padjet meant nothing to her as well? He felt any traces of love for her draining away. The woman he believed he had married had never existed.
"I was pregnant when you died," she went on. "You had a daughter. I didn't find out until the day after you died. Ironically, our last night together was Mylina's first."
Mylina. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He had had a daughter and he never knew it. He never knew her. It was almost too much to take in at once.
"Did they, our children I mean, have good lives?" He had to know.
"They and their two half siblings, Lysia and Taran, had very full and happy lives," Tia informed him. "Linicus was a wonderful father to them all."
At his look of surprise, she said, "Yes, I remarried. And, I bore my second husband's children. Did you think my life would end without you? It actually didn't begin until you were gone."
The realization that Tia was no longer his wife and had not been for 3500 years sank in slowly. All the time he had spent worrying about her and his son had been for nothing. She had picked up her life and moved on as soon as he was, in a sense, out of the way. Did she even mourn for him?
"I left Memphis after the burial ritual," Tia said as if answering his unspoken question. "It lasted a little longer than I would have wanted, since the Pharaoh waited until all the guardians were dead."
"What do you mean by that?" Ja-Kal asked. Hadn't they all died that day in the desert?
"Oh, I guess she didn't tell you," Tia shrugged. "Your charioteer wasn't dead when the search party found her. She was the one who told the Pharaoh about Scarab's treachery. She died a few days later." If there was more to the story, Tia wasn't elaborating.
Again, Ja-Kal wondered about Tia's behavior towards Nefer-Tina. There was no hostility in this remark, but nothing indicating anything else either. Strangely, Tia still had not actually said Nefer-Tina's name, just referring to her by her position this time. At least it was better than what she had said earlier.
And, he had never known that Nefer-Tina was still alive after the battle. Why hadn't she told him this either? He had always wondered how the Pharaoh had discovered that Scarab was behind the attack and now he knew. Despite everything she had told him in the restaurant, Nefer-Tina still had many secrets. What else wasn't she telling him?
Tia continued with her story, seeming unconcerned about any effect her earlier remark about Nefer-Tina was having on Ja-Kal. "I didn't wait for Scarab's trial, since I believed that he would get what he deserved. Apparently, he didn't. After I left Memphis, I just began to travel through Egypt with the children. Mylina was born is some small village whose name I can't even recall. For several years, I worked my way across our homeland, hoping to make enough money to get out. It was during this time that I met Linicus.
"Linicus was a fairly well-off Greek trader. He took pity on me and the children and offered me a job on his ship. Seeing this as the perfect opportunity to see more of the world, I jumped at the chance. I learned so much from him in a relatively short period of time. It was soon after that that I realized that I had fallen in love with him. Not for what he could give me, but for just being him."
Ja-Kal just watched Tia as she told him her story. If that last remark was meant to hurt him, she showed no indication. He refused to give her any satisfaction and did not react.
"I'm sure you are wondering how I became an Amazon goddess, of all things," she suddenly changed the subject.
"I am," he said tonelessly. He wanted to know, just to hear about his children if nothing else. He no longer cared about Tia's ambitions or what she did with herself. Her rejection of his love had been too hurtful. She now meant nothing to him.
"All right. Linicus, the children, and I were caught by a tribe of Amazons whose land we had accidentally stumbled on. I had learned how to fight during my travels and put my skills to use that day. I actually took out two of the warriors before I was finally subdued. The queen was very impressed and decided that I was worthy of joining her tribe. I, of course, agreed and remained with them. Linicus and the children were sent to the nearby village where the men and children lived. Mylina and Lysia were inducted into the tribe when they came of age. Padjet and Taran remained with their father.
"Years later, when the old queen way dying, she gave me her right of caste as she had no children of her own. I became the queen and ruled for a good sixty years. I was well into my nineties when my health finally failed. I had held the longest reign of any queen who came before or after me. Because of that, I was a great favorite of Artemis, the patron goddess of the Amazons.
"She came to me as I lay dying. For my loyalty and strong leadership, she offered me the chance to become a god and assist her for eternity. It was a dream come true and I accepted her offer. She restored my youth and appointed me Tracker for the Gods due to my incredible hunting abilities. And, that is where I have been ever since," she finished.
Ja-Kal just stared at his former wife. She had done so much in her life and now her immortal one as well. She had gotten everything she wanted and more.
It hurt him to find out that she had never really loved him. He had loved her so much and had felt such incredible guilt over leaving her alone with their son when he died. To learn that he had nothing to feel guilty about except not knowing his two children left him reeling. It made him feel as if he had wasted so much of the past year and a half worrying about Tia, hoping that she had been able to go on without him. She hadn't even needed him.
Yet, he now felt a sense of relief. He knew how everything had turned out and that Padjet and the daughter he never knew about had grown up loved by two parents. His only regret was learning the truth about Tia. His first great love had never really loved him at all.
And, he no longer loved her either.
Chapter Nineteen:
Xena traveled in the shadows as she surveyed the strange city of the future. According to her hosts, this city was named "San Francisco." Although the name sounded Spanish, she was told that she was in a place called "California," which was a small part of something known as the "United States of America." It was a coastal area with a large salt water bay that extended into an ocean. The city itself was huge, much larger than any place she'd visited in her own time. And she'd gotten around quite a bit.
Using the stars to guide her, she had covered a fairly large area in the past several hours. In reality, it was not much in a city of this size, but it was a start. She was currently in what she assumed to be a residential district. She decided that she had seen enough for her first scouting mission. It was time to return to the Sphinx.
She also had not seen any sign of the missing guardian, Nefer-Tina, yet. She hoped that the woman had already returned. Ja-Kal had seemed a bit concerned by her absence although the others treated it as a normal occurrence. And, Tia's "eagerness" to help was decidedly out of character. She needed to talk to Nefer-Tina and find out what had happened between her and the Amazon goddess. She had a feeling that Ja-Kal was involved somehow as well.
Xena glanced at the night sky and quickly determined her new heading. But before she got very far, the sound of childish laughter and loud music caught her attention. What were children doing up this late? She had thought that even in this future time young ones would need their sleep. Curious, the Warrior Princess went to investigate.
She followed the pleasant commotion to one of the strange houses of this time. The activity seemed to be coming from the rear, which was surrounded by a fence. She easily leaped over the fence without making a sound and crouched behind a bush. She couldn't help but smile at what she saw.
Several small girls, none older than nine, were laughing and dancing to the delight of two watchful adults. They were all situated in what appeared to be a room encased in a strange mesh material. The source of the girls' amusement, and the loud music, was an unusual boxy device which displayed moving pictures and sounds on its front panel. What made it even stranger was that the pictures were not painted or drawn. They appeared to have been pulled from the world. They looked as real as the yard she was standing in.
The current pictures were of four flamboyantly dressed women who were singing and dancing. Every once in a while, the image would change to show an enormous audience comprised of screaming fans. It reminded her, though on a much larger scale, of the shows she'd scene in Piraeus, the Appian Way. The performers sang with the accent of those native to Britannia:
Sisters are doing it for themselves.
Standing on their own two feet,
Ringing their own bells.
Catchy tune, Xena thought to herself.
This is what she was fighting for. To make the world a safer place for children like these to grow up in. Like her own unborn child...
Her hand automatically went to her swollen abdomen. Although she'd never say anything to Gabrielle, she had doubts about her own ability to be a good mother. She had failed so utterly with Solan. Who was she to be given a second chance? What kind of life could she offer her child? She and Gabrielle were always getting involved in dangerous situations. How would she be able to protect her child while she was busy protecting herself? It was one of the reasons she had given up Solan all those years ago.
It had been over a year since Solan's death and she was still grieving. He had lost everyone he had ever loved and never known his mother until after his death. Alti had seen to that with her curse. It was so unfair. He had been so young. His death was so pointless...
She blinked the tears away that had formed in her eyes. She was here to perform a mission. The baby was not due for quite a while and Solan was in the Elysian Fields for all eternity. She roused herself away from the happy scene and quietly left the yard. She continued on her way
Xena had almost reached the Sphinx when she saw it- one of the strange horseless vehicles used in this time. It was sitting alongside the road and appeared to be deserted. There was nothing usual about that in itself. However, the Egyptian motif could not be a coincidence. This had to be the vehicle Nefer-Tina left in with Presley. What was it doing here?
Poising her hand over her chakram, she soundlessly approached the seemingly empty vehicle. There was no indication of a struggle, which could mean any number of things. She could not tell how long it had been here. And, there was no sign of either Nefer-Tina or Presley.
Xena's guard immediately snapped into place. She had to find them and see if they needed help. There was the possibility that this could be nothing, but she was not taking any chances. Her job was to protect and help these people and that was exactly what she intended to do.
Looking around, she spotted a path that led into the woods that lined the roadway. It seemed as good a place as any to start searching. She peered into the darkened forest and saw no sign of anyone or anything having passed through violently. She stepped onto the path and started following it.
Xena walked for what seemed to be about ten minutes through the pitch-black woods. The path wound its way through the trees and went up and down a few hills. It was pretty well-worn, meaning that this was probably a public pathway that was used quite often. It was very quiet except for a few noisy animals.
Finally, she reached the end of the forest. What she saw at the bottom of the hill took her breath away.
Before her lay a beautiful lake. The calm waters reflected the beams of the bright moon, bathing the area in a soft white light. Surrounding the lake was a multitude of benches where people could sit and admire the lovely view.
One of them was occupied.
She was too far away to be certain, but she had a feeling that she knew who it was sitting there all alone. Remaining as silent as possible, she began to make her way down to the lake. If it was who she believed it to be, she did not want to scare her away. She needed to talk to her.
Xena was soon close enough to positively identify the figure as Nefer-Tina. From her rear vantage point, she could not see the woman's face, but the slight shaking of her shoulders told Xena all she needed to know. She was crying.
Xena quietly made her way over to the bench and sat down next to Nefer-Tina, who did not seem to notice her presence. Xena did not know this woman, having only met her for a brief moment several hours ago, but she could tell that she was in desperate need of help. There was an urgency to her silent plea that Xena could not ignore.
Xena reached out and put a comforting hand on Nefer-Tina's shoulder. "Are you all right?" she asked softly.
Nefer-Tina, who had been lost in her emotions, was startled by both the touch and the question. Her head snapped around to see who had spoken to her. When she saw who it was, she tried to get up but found herself firmly held in place by the hand on her shoulder. "Xena?! What are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing," the warrior said. "I thought you went to take Presley to his home. Why haven't you returned to the Sphinx yet?"
Nefer-Tina wiped at her tears. "I-I..." she began, but words failed her. "I'm sorry," she apologized. "I'm not usually like this."
Xena loosened her grip on Nefer-Tina's shoulder but her hand remained in place. "You didn't answer my question," she said. "Why are you here? Is it because of what Tia said to you?"
Nefer-Tina turned away. "It's nothing," she lied. "Just a personal matter." She gazed out onto the lake.
Xena shook her head. "It doesn't look like nothing to me. In fact, I know that it has something to do with Tia." She paused a moment. "And, Ja-Kal as well."
Nefer-Tina didn't answer, still refusing to look at her.
"You're in love with him."
Nefer-Tina whirled to look at her, her eyes widened in shock. "Y-you know?"
"Why haven't you told him?" Xena bluntly asked, ignoring her question.
Nefer-Tina turned away again. "For a lot of reasons," she spoke quietly. "Mostly because I'm afraid of hurting him."
"How long have you been in love with him?"
"Since I was sixteen years old," Nefer-Tina told her.
"And you never told him?" Xena asked again.
"I couldn't, especially not after what happened..." Nefer-Tina began to say, letting her voice trail off.
"Why?" she repeated. "What happened? And, what does Tia have to do with any of this?"
Nefer-Tina closed her eyes to try to keep the tears from returning. "She's his wife."
"His wife?" Xena breathed in amazement. If Tia had been Ja-Kal's wife and she knew about Nefer-Tina's love for him... Things were rapidly beginning to fall into place. "She knows, doesn't she?"
"Yes," was the sad reply.
Xena knew her next question was cruel but it had to be asked. "Were they married when you fell in love with him?"
"No! Of course not!" Nefer-Tina cried forcefully. "They were married after I came back."
"Came back from where?" Xena queried.
"Please, I don't want to talk about it," Nefer-Tina begged. "Not right now. Why don't you just go back and tell Ja-Kal that you found me. I'm sure he's furious that I'm not back yet."
Xena folded her arms. "We aren't going anywhere until I hear everything. There's more to this story than you're telling me."
Nefer-Tina looked at Xena again. She had never told anyone her entire story. Bits and pieces of it, maybe, but never the whole thing. Ja-Kal knew more than anybody yet he didn't even know half. "Why do you care so much?"
"Because I like you," Xena smiled slightly. "I can see that you're in a lot of pain. And, I know that it helps sometimes to talk about it. I just want to help you. Tell me what happened to you."
Nefer-Tina smiled back weakly. Deep in her heart, she knew she could trust this stranger. Xena knew nothing of her past. She was a neutral figure who could listen with no prejudices towards her or anyone. She felt safe confiding in her.
"It's a long story," she said, trying to lighten the heavy mood slightly.
"I've got all night," Xena told her.
Nefer-Tina nodded slightly and tried to relax a little. Then, she began to tell Xena everything.
Tia stood with her arms folded across the room. "Is there anything else you wish to know?"
Ja-Kal could not find the words to express what he was feeling. The woman he had loved for over 3500 years had just told him that she had never really loved him. No, he corrected himself, she had, in her own way, loved him for a time, but it hadn't been a true love. She had loved him for what he could do for her, not for who he was. And, it hurt him to learn this. It hurt him deeply.
He had always been a very private man. He did not bestow his love or trust easily. It had to be earned. And, he had also considered himself a pretty good judge of character. However, he seemed to have misjudged Tia entirely.
He had believed he knew what kind of person Tia was when he fell in love with her. They had, after all, grown up together. He had never seen her show cruelty towards another human being until today...
Again he found his thoughts drifting back to Nefer-Tina. When he had first met her, she had been disguised as Nefer. Although the friendship that grew between them was based on a falsehood, it had been real. She had not deliberately gone out of her way to deceive him like Tia had. Nefer-Tina's reasons for lying about her identity were to protect herself from a world that had rejected her. She had never tried to hide who she really was. He knew her feelings of friendship towards him were genuine, as were his for her. Feelings of friendship and perhaps something more...
For the first time since the restaurant, Ja-Kal did not fight his attraction to Nefer-Tina. He was not married anymore, had not been since he "died." Tia had released him from any obligations to her when she had told him the truth of their relationship. There was no reason why he couldn't allow himself to be in love with another...
However, he still knew he could never be with her. Their duty to the prince took precedence over all personal matters. She was also his second-in-command now. And, there was always the chance that she did not feel the same way...
He looked at Tia again. Why had she acted so antagonistic towards Nefer-Tina? She had attacked her verbally twice, both incidents unprovoked. He decided that it was time to find out the truth behind her behavior.
"Why do you hate Nefer-Tina so much?" he finally asked his ex-wife.
The smile Tia graced him with was extremely unsettling. "You really don't know who she is, do you?"
"She's my teammate and my friend," he told her. "Whoever she was before doesn't matter to me."
"Maybe you have changed after all," Tia mused. "The Ja-Kal I knew would never have allowed her to remain part of his team after he found out she had been lying to him."
"I admit that I was angry when she revealed herself to be a woman," he confessed, "but she proved that it changed nothing. She is still the same loyal guardian that she always was. Her sex does not make her who she is."
"Funny you should mention that word," Tia continued. "Though you may change your mind about her once you hear what kind of person she really is."
Ja-Kal had a feeling that he knew where this was going. However, he would never break his promise to Nefer-Tina and admit to Tia that he already knew what had happened all those years ago. It would be best to feign ignorance. "I still don't know what you're talking about."
"That's right. You weren't there when it happened. You would never have recognized 'the Whore of Memphis' when you saw her," Tia thought out loud.
"'The Whore of Memphis'?" Ja-Kal carefully repeated. "I don't understand," he lied.
"Let me fill you in on the past of your so-called friend and teammate. Do you recall the stories about the banished palace musician? The one who was found to be with child?" Tia asked in an attempt to jog his memory.
He nodded. "Vaguely. I think I remember you being rather ecstatic about it when I returned home from a hunting trip."
Tia let loose a small laugh. "Ah, so you do remember. Do you know why I was so happy?"
"I think it would be better if you just told me," Ja-Kal flatly said.
"While you were away, a rumor about a pregnant palace musician was circulating through the city. I decided to find out for myself who this disgraceful member of the court was and I easily discovered her," Tia told him. "It was rather hard to hide her condition at that point. It was, of course, Nefer-Tina."
So, Tia had been the one who turned her in. It explained why Nefer-Tina feared her so much, Ja-Kal realized. Tia must have recognized her immediately when she came back as "Nefer." But why hadn't she exposed "his" identity to anyone?
"The right thing to do, as I believe you would have done as well in my place, was to turn her in to the Pharaoh. By doing so, I felt that I was preserving the honor of the House of Amenhotep. An uncontrollable servant reflects poorly on the strength of one's rule, don't you agree? So, I personally dragged her to face Amenhotep in front of the entire court."
"She didn't put up much of a fight," Tia added as an aside. "The poor girl was frightened for her life."
"Continue with the story," Ja-Kal stated tonelessly.
"All right," Tia said. "Amenhotep demanded to know right then and there who the father of her child was. To the disbelief of everyone in the room, she claimed that she didn't know, that she had been raped. Even the Pharaoh was startled by her audacity to lie about such a thing. She had tried to hide her pregnancy. Any woman in her right mind would have gone for help if she'd been raped. Why had she remained silent?"
Ja-Kal fought down the urge to point out that maybe the reason that she hadn't told anyone was that she had been ashamed and humiliated over what had happened, which, of course, was the truth. It had been hard hearing it the first time, but it was even worse with the cruel slant that Tia added to the story.
"Everyone knew she was lying and the Pharaoh decreed that there would be a trial unless she confessed her crime," Tia was saying. "She was very stubborn and stuck with her rape story. No one believed her." She looked Ja-Kal directly in the eyes. "She is an extremely beautiful woman, as I'm sure even you noticed. She could have easily lured any man she wanted into her bed by her looks alone."
Ja-Kal could tell that her last statement was aimed directly at him. Did she somehow know about his feelings for Nefer-Tina? How could she? It was impossible. Wasn't it?
"The trial was swift and just, but by the time it was over, the entire city knew about the wanton slut," Tia continued. "When the Pharaoh rightly banished her, there was nowhere for her to hide. She had no choice but to leave Memphis. She disappeared shortly after the trial, only to return two years later in that pathetic disguise of hers."
"Her lover was never found either. He must not have felt as strongly for her as she did for him," she mused. "Probably was just using her for sex anyway."
"What of her child?" Ja-Kal asked, ignoring the last comment. He hoped he could find out something to tell Nefer-Tina. "Does anyone know what became of it?"
Tia shrugged. "Like I said, she disappeared after the trial. You know as much as I do after that. 'Nefer' did not have any children, now did 'he'?"
Her response was too casual. She knew something that she wasn't telling him. "If you knew who she was, why didn't you turn her in?"
Tia's smile turned predatory. "I think that would be self-explanatory. She was being forced to live as a man to save her own life. She probably lived in fear of being found out every second of every day. If her identity was discovered, she would have been put to death. I think that she was suffering more for her crimes living like that than if she'd been executed, don't you agree?"
Again, her answer was too pat, too prepared. There was a lot more to this story than either woman had told him. He was determined to get the full story out of one of them, preferably Nefer-Tina. Why wasn't she being completely honest with him? What was she hiding?
What was she afraid of telling him?
Nefer-Tina tried to pull herself together and speak, but she was still crying too hard. She clung tightly to Xena, who was gently stroking her hair in a motherly fashion.
It had been a difficult retelling of her past with no omissions at all. Xena had been understanding during the frequent bouts of tears that erupted during particularly painful sections. For the first time in her existence, she had come completely clean about everything. She had told Xena about Ja-Kal, Tia's hatred of her, the rape, the trial and banishment, and everything else. She even spoke of the other night with Ja-Kal and how she had almost kissed him.
Xena had listened mostly in silence, only asking questions to clarify minor points. Nefer-Tina could not tell what Xena thought of her now that she knew about her disgraceful past. She was just glad for her company. She did not think she could handle being alone.
Nefer-Tina pushed herself into an upright sitting position and once more wiped furiously at her eyes. She was ashamed of the way she had continually lost control of her emotions in that manner. "I'm so sorry," she apologized again.
"Stop saying that," Xena firmly admonished her. "You have nothing to apologize for. What you went through was horrible. I could see how painful it was for you to tell me about it. I'm almost sorry I made you relive it."
Nefer-Tina sniffled a bit before she could respond. "No, I needed to talk about it. Thank you for making me realize that. I feel better...freer...than I have since before everything happened."
Xena again placed a comforting hand on Nefer-Tina's shoulder. "I'm glad I could help you. However, the next step is something you have to do on your own. I can't do it for you."
"Next step?" she asked, confused.
Xena nodded. "You have to tell Ja-Kal how you feel."
"No!" Nefer-Tina burst out, pulling away from Xena's touch. "I can't! I just can't!" She began to hug herself tightly and looked down at the ground.
"Why not? You owe it to both of you to let him know. You can't go on pretending that you don't have feelings for him. Look at what's it doing to you," Xena told her.
"Please, I just can't tell him," she said. "You don't understand."
"You're right. I don't understand," Xena agreed. "What are you afraid of?"
"That I'll lose him," she quietly answered. "That he'll hate me for lying to him again. That he'd stop being my friend."
Xena pulled Nefer-Tina's arms down from her chest and took her hands in her own. "Nefer-Tina, listen to yourself. You're letting your fear have too much control. You can't possibly know how he'll react. Yes, he might be angry at you and, yes, you might even lose his friendship, but those are just possibilities. He could even laugh in your face and think that it was a joke. You just don't know.
"I have a friend who was in the same predicament you are. His name is Joxer and for years he's been in love with Gabrielle. He also resisted telling her for the longest time, fearing that she'd hate him even more than he thought she did. I'm gonna tell you what I told him. Just tell Ja-Kal how you feel, that's all. Don't expect anything back from him. As I said to Joxer, 'no strings attached.' Then, anything that happens next is up to him," Xena said.
"But-" Nefer-Tina began to say.
"But, nothing," Xena cut her off. "All I'm saying is that you need to tell him the truth. Then, you just have to take the consequences it brings, no matter what they are. I can't predict how he'll react and neither can you. But, I can guarantee that you'll feel better for getting it out in the open. Trust me on this."
Nefer-Tina was silent for a moment. "What about Tia?"
"What about her? You're not a frightened sixteen-year-old girl anymore. She can't hurt you now," Xena told her. "You can't let her control your actions like you once did either. You can't let her keep you from telling the man you love how you feel."
"I'll try to remember that," she smiled weakly. "So, anyway, how did Gabrielle react when Joxer told her?"
Xena smiled. "I was a little busy at the time, but I got the impression that she was a little surprised at his timing."
"Why? When did he tell her?"
"In the middle of a battle," Xena explained. "Gabrielle and I had just had a little 'death' experience and Joxer was afraid of losing her again so soon without her knowing how he felt about her."
"Poor guy," Nefer-Tina said. "So, has anything changed between them since he told her?"
"Well, he still follows us around everywhere we go and Gabrielle bonks him on the head at every opportunity, so, no. I would say that nothing's changed. But, sometimes I get the feeling that Gabrielle likes him more than she lets on."
"How about you? Is there anyone you have feelings for?" Nefer-Tina asked lightly. "You know, like the father of your baby?"
Xena sighed heavily. "You're not going to believe me when I tell you this, but there is no father. I don't know how it happened. When I 'died,' I was not pregnant. Then, when I was resurrected, I was. I don't understand it either." She sighed again. "As for your question, yes, there is someone, but our ways of life are too different for anything to come of it. I'm just content to be friends with him and that's the way I want it to stay." Xena stood up from the bench. "Besides, once this little one comes," she said, patting her belly, "I'm going to be a little too busy for romance."
Nefer-Tina stood up too. "Thank you," she said again. "For just listening to me and being a friend. I'll think about what you told me."
"Please, do," Xena encouraged her. "You'll never be able to move on until you tell him."
"I just don't know if I'll be able to," Nefer-Tina said. "I've kept it a secret for so long. I'm so afraid that I'll lose his trust. He's such an honorable and good person and all I do is lie to him. Even if he did have feelings for me, I wouldn't blame him for hating me."
"Don't say things like that. You just won't know until you try. He might just surprise you," Xena told her.
Nefer-Tina nodded wearily. "Would you like a ride back to the Sphinx? I think I'm ready to go home now."
"I'd love one," Xena smiled warmly. "Lead the way."
The two women started to walk back up the hill.
Chapter Twenty:
Scarab, in his guise of Harris Stone, approached the office door of Amanda Carnovan. In his right hand, he held the handle of a very large briefcase. A briefcase that contained the stolen Xena Scrolls.
The Scrolls had served their purpose. He had gotten what he wanted and therefore had no further use for them. His immortality was nearly in his grasp. Velasca was the perfect weapon. He had no doubt that she would deliver Rapses and destroy the mummies like she promised. The nights they shared were just an added bonus.
Scarab knocked on the door and opened it without waiting for an invitation to enter. Carnovan sat at her desk, typing at her computer. She looked up to see her visitor.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Stone," Carnovan greeted him warmly. "Is there something I can help you with?"
He smiled thinly at the woman. "Actually, I came because of what I can do for you." He placed the briefcase on her desk.
Carnovan's brow knitted in confusion. "For me? I'm afraid I don't quite follow you."
He did not answer. Instead, he opened the briefcase and turned it so she could view what it held.
"The Xena Scrolls!" she gasped, standing up. "Where...how?"
If only she knew... "I'm a very wealthy man," he told her. "I have many resources at my disposal."
"But the police-" she began.
He cut her off with a wave of his hand. "The police are limited in their abilities to search. I, on the other hand, am not. This museum has been very good to me over the years. Consider this a token of my esteem."
"All right," Carnovan said, a hint of uncertainty in her voice. "Thank you."
Scarab smiled to himself as he realized what she was thinking. She believed that he had used illegal means to obtain something already stolen. In essence, steal them back from the criminals. What she didn't know was how close to the actual truth she was.
"I would suggest you don't concern yourself any further with this matter. Just be happy that they are recovered," he said, attempting to quell her worries. She was smarter than he would have ever given her credit for. Strange that he hadn't noticed that about her before.
"It's not that I don't trust you, Mr. Stone," Carnovan explained, "but you have to admit that your timing is suspicious. The Scrolls haven't even been missing a week."
"I understand where you are coming from," he told her. "I realize that the police usually take more time to solve crimes of this nature. Rest assured that nothing illegal has transpired in the recovery of these artifacts."
"I'm sorry for doubting you, sir," Carnovan finally said. She looked up and smiled apologetically. "With all the crimes occurring so frequently..."
"Consider it forgotten," he waved her off. He watched her as she reclosed the briefcase and fastened the clasps. For the first time, he noticed that she was quite an attractive woman. He had associated with her for years, but never really viewed her in that way. Until his "acquisition" of the Xena Scrolls, his obsession with obtaining his immortality had been all-consuming. Nothing else had mattered. Now, with it being so close, he had time to pay attention to other things.
Velasca was the first woman he had shared his bed with since his imprisonment all those millennia ago. He had forgotten how enjoyable it was. After he disposed of her, he'd need someone to take her place...
"Well, thank you again for returning these. The museum owes you a debt of gratitude," Carnovan told him as she walked around her desk, the briefcase in her hand. "I really need to show these to Mr. Hepplewhite. Would you like to accompany me? I'm sure Mr. Hepplewhite would like to thank you in person."
Scarab shook his head. "No, I'm afraid I have a few things to do elsewhere. I'll show myself out. Good day, Ms. Carnovan."
"Same to you, Mr. Stone," Carnovan said. "I-"
"Hey, Mom!" a youthful voice interrupted. A very familiar voice.
Scarab turned to see who had entered the office. His eyes went wide in total shock.
It was Rapses. And, he had just addressed Amanda Carnovan as his mother.
Presley, followed by Miranda, entered his mother's office. They were headed over to join the others in the Sphinx and had come up with a cover story to explain where he'd be spending the rest of the day.
"Hi, honey," Amanda greeted her son. She smiled as she saw Miranda as well. "Miranda! I was about to call you!"
"Well, then I guess our timing was perfect," Miranda smiled.
Amanda gestured to the older man standing beside her. "You remember Harris Stone, don't you?" Presley noticed that the guy was staring at both of them in a really weird way.
"Hello, Mr. Stone," Miranda said coolly.
Presley looked at Miranda. He could tell she didn't like this Stone guy very much. In fact, Stone was giving him the creeps as well. Creeps that were really familiar...
"Dr. Larson," Stone returned, in much the same tone. "Yes, I remember you. We met right before the exhibit opened."
Oh, my god! Presley thought. That's Scarab's voice!
Stone turned to look at Amanda, gesturing at Presley. "Amanda, you never told me you had a son."
"Well, I guess it never came up," she shrugged. "Presley, sweetie, come here." She motioned for him to come over to her.
Presley gulped nervously while trying to remain calm. He slowly approached his mother, eyeing Stone the whole time. Just because he had the same voice didn't mean anything, did it? But, even as he told himself that, he knew it wasn't true. The man in front of him was Scarab and he and his mom were in serious trouble.
Amanda put her hands on both of Presley's shoulders. "Presley, I'd like you to meet Mr. Harris Stone. Not only is he a generous benefactor to this museum, but we've worked together quite a bit over the past few years. Mr. Stone, this is my son Presley."
"Presley," Stone purred in a strange tone. "It's a pleasure to finally make your acquaintance."
I'll bet it is. "Yeah, same here," Presley answered. There was no doubt in his mind that this was Scarab. He didn't think that Scarab realized that he knew who he was yet. He had to somehow get Miranda and get them out of there. He had to tell the guys NOW.
"Mom, I've gotta go to the bathroom," he finally said, pulling away from his mother a little too quickly.
"Uh, sure, honey," Amanda said, surprised at his rude behavior. "You know where it is."
"Yeah, I'll be back in a minute," Presley told her. He turned to Miranda. "Why don't you tell my mom why we came in the first place?"
With that said, he rushed out of his mother's office, not bothering to pull the door closed behind him.
He hoped that Miranda would hurry up. The sooner they got to the Sphinx, the better.
"I must apologize for his behavior," Amanda told Stone. "He's not usually like that. Presley's normally such a good boy."
"Yes, like a little prince I imagine," Stone said with a secretive smile.
Miranda wasn't sure what happened, but something about Stone had bothered Presley a great deal. She could understand. She was not too fond of him either.
Amanda gave a little laugh. "Well, not exactly. For the past six months, things have been fine, but for the year and a half before that his behavior was getting increasingly erratic. He'd disappear all day, only to come home late at night and go directly to bed. When I asked him about it, he'd give me some cockamamie story about where he'd been. I guess it was some phase he was going through," she shrugged. "Then last night... Well, never mind. So, what did he mean about your telling me something?" she asked Miranda.
"Oh, that," Miranda said. "Presley came to me the other day asking for some help with a school project. We were going to spend all afternoon working on it, if that's all right with you."
"Of course, it's fine," Amanda smiled. "Just have him back before it's too late. It's a school night, you know."
"Don't worry," Miranda assured her. "He will be safe and sound in his bed before midnight. So, you said you were about to call me?"
"Yes, that's right," Amanda said. "I have a little surprise for you."
"A surprise?" Miranda asked.
"Oh, I think you'll be quite pleased," Amanda grinned. She handed the briefcase she was holding to Miranda. "Go ahead, open it."
Miranda made her way over to Amanda's desk and laid the heavy item on it. She flipped open the fasteners and lifted the top. "Oh!" she gasped as she saw the Xena Scrolls neatly laid out inside the briefcase. She turned to face both Amanda and Stone. "Where did you find these?"
"Mr. Stone kindly returned them a little while before you arrived," Amanda explained. "He had his own people look into the theft since the police did not seem to be making any progress."
Miranda looked at Stone as a realization hit her. She knew from Ja-Kal and the others that their enemy Scarab was the one who had stolen the Scrolls. The presence of Velasca and Callisto was proof of that in itself. So, how had Stone recovered them? Unless...
Stone was Scarab! That would explain Presley's behavior. Apparently Presley had never met Stone until now, since Scarab was unaware of his true identity. That was no longer true. Not only did Scarab know who Presley really was, but he knew that Amanda was his mother. She was in danger now as well.
Keeping her demeanor calm, Miranda spoke up. "Thank you so much for returning these priceless artifacts. You have the gratitude of the entire International Association of Xena Studies. If there is anything we can ever do for you, just let me know. I'm sure that Janice and Mel would agree with me one hundred percent."
"I'll keep your offer in mind," Stone said. "You never know when a favor could come in handy."
"Great. Well, I'd better get going. I'm sure Presley is almost done and we have a lot of work to do today," Miranda said as she backed up to the door. "It was very nice seeing both of you again. Thanks so much for recovering the Scrolls, Mr. Stone. Good bye."
Miranda left the office and started to turn towards the restroom when a hand shot out and grabbed her arm. She turned to see Presley standing outside the door against the wall where he could hear everything but not be seen. He gestured for her to say nothing until they were far enough away.
Presley led Miranda down a fairly deserted hallway. Finally, he stopped walking and turned to look at her. "We're in big trouble," he said. "That was Scarab!"
"I know," she told him. "He's the only one who could have had the Scrolls."
"I recognized his voice right away," Presley said. "He knows who I am now."
"This is bad," Miranda agreed.
"And, he knows who my mom is too!" Presley practically wailed. "She's in danger! Scarab can look us up in the phone book and find out where we live! Our house isn't safe anymore."
"We have to tell Ja-Kal right away. He'll know what to do," Miranda assured him.
"Yeah, he always does," Presley nodded. "Come on, I know a shortcut to the Sphinx from here."
Callisto sat on the roof of a building across the street from the museum. Miranda and the brat had gone inside a while ago and had yet to reemerge. Whatever they were doing, they were taking their time.
She had been following Miranda all day, trying to learn as much about her descendant as possible. The more she knew about her, the easier it would be to convince her to join her. After all this time, she finally had her family back. She was not about to lose it again.
Until she met Miranda, Callisto had not realized how empty her victory over Xena would have been, no, had been. What was the point of a victory if you didn't have anyone to share it with? That was why the death of Xena's son had not freed her of her torment. Her quest for revenge had never been just for her. It had been for her family. Without them, destroying Xena was almost pointless. That was about to change.
With Miranda, she had her family again. A family that could appreciate what she was doing and share her victory with her. A family that could understand why she did what she did.
However, she had to first get Miranda to see things her way, to see the nobility of her cause. Miranda had been brainwashed by tales of Callisto's "villainy" passed down through the generations. It would be difficult to make her see through the lies perpetuated by Xena's family, but she was determined that she would succeed. Her family would not be kept apart from her any longer.
The boy was the key to her success. Miranda appeared to be quite protective of him. If she was anywhere as noble as the good Xena, then she would most likely do literally anything to keep him from harm. Possibly even join forces with someone she believed to be evil. If she were to promise that he would be kept safe, Miranda would have no choice but to help her get revenge against Xena's family. It would be a fair trade, wouldn't it? And, if she refused, well, Scarab would be getting his immortality after all.
The truth was that she could care less about helping Scarab and Velasca despite their promise of oblivion. Now that she had a family again, her will to live had returned full force. She had a purpose again-making Xena's family pay. It would be much more satisfying in the long run than ceasing to exist.
And, even if Miranda refused to join her, she still had a family. A family that she vowed to avenge.
Either way, she won.